Louis always arrived about five minutes later than the appointed time. But he was never late. That behavior also reminded him of his deceased mother. Learning habits that were never taught were in his blood.
“Brother.”
Judging from the voice calling him, it seemed that she had not come today for no reason. She had barely had a meal beforehand, so it seemed that she had a very urgent reason for bringing up the subject.
“Yes, Louis.”
Carson looked at his younger sister, who had grown up so much in the past two years, with gentle eyes. Louis, now eleven years old, was quite the girl.
“I’m very sick.”
However, his younger sister still had a talent for making him speechless. Louis had changed from a tearful child to a quiet child, and now she had grown into a girl whose mind was incomprehensible. She was like a cat, always hovering around, while rarely letting him go. A small, cute cat with shiny black fur and golden eyes.
“Can you tell me where and how it hurts?”
Reports about Louis were constantly coming in. He had never heard of a child being sick recently.
“In the heart.”
“In the heart?”
“Yes, my heart and mind hurt a lot. I often feel depressed and sad.”
Until now, the Keynes Empire had little awareness of mental illness. When people saw someone who was not in their right mind, they often said that they were being controlled by an evil demon or that they were possessed by a soul that had committed many sins.
Naturally, they did not understand unreasonable depression. However, these days, the medical community is increasingly viewing depression and sadness as illnesses of the heart. And that the illness stems from some past experience or wound.
“I see. That could be the case.”
Louis’s heartache was an expression of guilt for Carson. The child calmly added to Carson’s heart, one by one.
“It’s harder than I thought. I can’t even sleep at night.”
“That’s... I see.”
“I heard...”
Louis was carefully choosing her words. Carson waited silently for her to speak.
“Children who suffer from mental illness often suffer from physical illness later in life.”
“Who said that?”
“Lord Hudson.”
Hudson was the lord’s family’s personal doctor. He was naturally the most capable member of the family. However, at this moment, Carson began to seriously contemplate what to do with this capable doctor.
“Of course, it could be, but there are many cases where it isn’t. So don’t worry too much about it.”
“But you shouldn’t just neglect it.”
Hearing the word “neglect,” Carson decided to send Hudson out of the mansion. Louis’ vocabulary wasn’t good enough to use that word appropriately. So it was clear that he had heard this from him as well.
“Yes, that’s true. But this brother wouldn’t neglect you like that.”
Louis let out a small sigh as if she was frustrated with something. Then she gave him a determined look.
“I heard that the temple sends priests and maids for children who suffer from physical or mental illness. It’s something that requires both prayer and healing.”
Carson’s words were cut off by the unexpected words.
“But that... I heard that it’s only possible if you donate a lot.”
“Where did you hear that...?”
Louis, who was fiddling with the glass of water in front of him, answered in a small voice.
“From Emma.”
“Emma?”
When he turned around, Emma as if she had remembered something urgent, moved the empty pitcher around hurriedly.
“So I asked Lord Hudson. Is it possible to consider frequent depression and sadness as a mental illness?”
Now he realized that all these words had started with Emma, not Hudson.
“The doctor said that the priests and maids of the Edmont Temple are the most capable.”
Carson covered his mouth with his large hand. It was hard for him to judge what kind of expression he was making.
But he knew that Hudson, who had just almost lost his job, had saved his livelihood. And he was about to learn that his research budget had doubled without him knowing.
“Have you, brother, made a large donation to the goddess Heclesia? Or are you willing to make one now?”
Carson let out a short, breathless laugh. There were indeed many in the Landhill lord’s castle who hoped for Ines’ return.
“Louis, your brother has already made a large donation to the goddess Heclesia. And it was through the temple of Edmont.”
The child’s face lit up at those words.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, our Louis is in pain, so it would be nice to have someone with you who would make you feel safe.”
“Of course.”
“Your brother will send a letter to the temple soon.”
Louis turned her head toward the door at those words. There was Emma, still standing there with her empty pitcher. The two of them looked at each other and smiled with satisfaction. It was not the kind of smile a child with a very sick heart would make.
Three days after Carson had invited a priest and a maid to Edmont, a letter from the Empress arrived in the capital. The letter contained a message that she wanted to see him as soon as possible.
Carson looked through the envelope from the imperial office. The Empress’s letter had to have both the imperial emblem and her own. However, it was an unofficial letter that had only the Empress’s seal.
He hesitated for a moment but decided not to respond. Since it was not official anyway, it was not against the law for him to refuse.
But a month later, when the spring breeze was fully enveloping the entire territory, two letters arrived together.
One was a permit from the Temple of Edmont, and the other was that the Empress was going to the Temple of Edmont herself to pray. The letter from the Empress ended with these words: “I heard that there is a maid in Edmont who has a very interesting story.”
Carson groaned softly as he crumpled the letter in his hand.
Going to the temple like this would be like revealing Ines’ weakness. But there was no way not to go. Such was his weakness.
And so, exactly four months after the new year, Carson set out for Edmont again.
“It has been a long time.”
“Yes, Count Raymond. Two years is a long time.”
The Empress and Carson knelt side by side in the antechamber where the huge statue of the goddess Heclesia stood. At the appearance of the two giants, all the temple people held their breath and emptied the area around the prayer room.
In the quiet prayer room where even the sound of ants passing by could be heard, only the two voices resonated incongruously.
“If there is anything you need, I will send it up as much as you want, so why are you calling me here?”
The goddess, smiling with benevolent eyes, looked down at the two arrogant royals who were sitting down.
“That is the problem, Count. You are not asking because you do not know, are you?”
At that time, another pair of eyes were secretly watching them in the waiting room. Ines had accidentally heard about Carson’s visit while cleaning the high priest’s room this afternoon.
If news of his arrival had been delivered in advance, the maids would have been given the additional task of cleaning various parts of the temple. High-ranking priests do not talk secretly like that.
And she soon learned the reason. It was the appearance of the Empress.
The carriage, which was splendid at first glance, shone strangely no matter how hard she tried to hide it in a corner of the temple. There was no sign on the carriage, but Ines was sure that it was from the palace.
Edmont was almost impossible to come by carriage because of the steep terrain.
There was only one path, a mountain path leading from the palace, that could be used by carriages. And it was open only to the royal family.
The empress had been the one who used Count Graham as a shadow. And when things went wrong, she had mercilessly removed that shadow. There was no way to know what she would do if she met Carson. She was afraid, but nothing took priority over his safety. Ines fearlessly set out to find the place where the two would meet.
“Brother.”
Judging from the voice calling him, it seemed that she had not come today for no reason. She had barely had a meal beforehand, so it seemed that she had a very urgent reason for bringing up the subject.
“Yes, Louis.”
Carson looked at his younger sister, who had grown up so much in the past two years, with gentle eyes. Louis, now eleven years old, was quite the girl.
“I’m very sick.”
However, his younger sister still had a talent for making him speechless. Louis had changed from a tearful child to a quiet child, and now she had grown into a girl whose mind was incomprehensible. She was like a cat, always hovering around, while rarely letting him go. A small, cute cat with shiny black fur and golden eyes.
“Can you tell me where and how it hurts?”
Reports about Louis were constantly coming in. He had never heard of a child being sick recently.
“In the heart.”
“In the heart?”
“Yes, my heart and mind hurt a lot. I often feel depressed and sad.”
Until now, the Keynes Empire had little awareness of mental illness. When people saw someone who was not in their right mind, they often said that they were being controlled by an evil demon or that they were possessed by a soul that had committed many sins.
Naturally, they did not understand unreasonable depression. However, these days, the medical community is increasingly viewing depression and sadness as illnesses of the heart. And that the illness stems from some past experience or wound.
“I see. That could be the case.”
Louis’s heartache was an expression of guilt for Carson. The child calmly added to Carson’s heart, one by one.
“It’s harder than I thought. I can’t even sleep at night.”
“That’s... I see.”
“I heard...”
Louis was carefully choosing her words. Carson waited silently for her to speak.
“Children who suffer from mental illness often suffer from physical illness later in life.”
“Who said that?”
“Lord Hudson.”
Hudson was the lord’s family’s personal doctor. He was naturally the most capable member of the family. However, at this moment, Carson began to seriously contemplate what to do with this capable doctor.
“Of course, it could be, but there are many cases where it isn’t. So don’t worry too much about it.”
“But you shouldn’t just neglect it.”
Hearing the word “neglect,” Carson decided to send Hudson out of the mansion. Louis’ vocabulary wasn’t good enough to use that word appropriately. So it was clear that he had heard this from him as well.
“Yes, that’s true. But this brother wouldn’t neglect you like that.”
Louis let out a small sigh as if she was frustrated with something. Then she gave him a determined look.
“I heard that the temple sends priests and maids for children who suffer from physical or mental illness. It’s something that requires both prayer and healing.”
Carson’s words were cut off by the unexpected words.
“But that... I heard that it’s only possible if you donate a lot.”
“Where did you hear that...?”
Louis, who was fiddling with the glass of water in front of him, answered in a small voice.
“From Emma.”
“Emma?”
When he turned around, Emma as if she had remembered something urgent, moved the empty pitcher around hurriedly.
“So I asked Lord Hudson. Is it possible to consider frequent depression and sadness as a mental illness?”
Now he realized that all these words had started with Emma, not Hudson.
“The doctor said that the priests and maids of the Edmont Temple are the most capable.”
Carson covered his mouth with his large hand. It was hard for him to judge what kind of expression he was making.
But he knew that Hudson, who had just almost lost his job, had saved his livelihood. And he was about to learn that his research budget had doubled without him knowing.
“Have you, brother, made a large donation to the goddess Heclesia? Or are you willing to make one now?”
Carson let out a short, breathless laugh. There were indeed many in the Landhill lord’s castle who hoped for Ines’ return.
“Louis, your brother has already made a large donation to the goddess Heclesia. And it was through the temple of Edmont.”
The child’s face lit up at those words.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, our Louis is in pain, so it would be nice to have someone with you who would make you feel safe.”
“Of course.”
“Your brother will send a letter to the temple soon.”
Louis turned her head toward the door at those words. There was Emma, still standing there with her empty pitcher. The two of them looked at each other and smiled with satisfaction. It was not the kind of smile a child with a very sick heart would make.
***
Three days after Carson had invited a priest and a maid to Edmont, a letter from the Empress arrived in the capital. The letter contained a message that she wanted to see him as soon as possible.
Carson looked through the envelope from the imperial office. The Empress’s letter had to have both the imperial emblem and her own. However, it was an unofficial letter that had only the Empress’s seal.
He hesitated for a moment but decided not to respond. Since it was not official anyway, it was not against the law for him to refuse.
But a month later, when the spring breeze was fully enveloping the entire territory, two letters arrived together.
One was a permit from the Temple of Edmont, and the other was that the Empress was going to the Temple of Edmont herself to pray. The letter from the Empress ended with these words: “I heard that there is a maid in Edmont who has a very interesting story.”
Carson groaned softly as he crumpled the letter in his hand.
Going to the temple like this would be like revealing Ines’ weakness. But there was no way not to go. Such was his weakness.
And so, exactly four months after the new year, Carson set out for Edmont again.
***
“It has been a long time.”
“Yes, Count Raymond. Two years is a long time.”
The Empress and Carson knelt side by side in the antechamber where the huge statue of the goddess Heclesia stood. At the appearance of the two giants, all the temple people held their breath and emptied the area around the prayer room.
In the quiet prayer room where even the sound of ants passing by could be heard, only the two voices resonated incongruously.
“If there is anything you need, I will send it up as much as you want, so why are you calling me here?”
The goddess, smiling with benevolent eyes, looked down at the two arrogant royals who were sitting down.
“That is the problem, Count. You are not asking because you do not know, are you?”
At that time, another pair of eyes were secretly watching them in the waiting room. Ines had accidentally heard about Carson’s visit while cleaning the high priest’s room this afternoon.
If news of his arrival had been delivered in advance, the maids would have been given the additional task of cleaning various parts of the temple. High-ranking priests do not talk secretly like that.
And she soon learned the reason. It was the appearance of the Empress.
The carriage, which was splendid at first glance, shone strangely no matter how hard she tried to hide it in a corner of the temple. There was no sign on the carriage, but Ines was sure that it was from the palace.
Edmont was almost impossible to come by carriage because of the steep terrain.
There was only one path, a mountain path leading from the palace, that could be used by carriages. And it was open only to the royal family.
The empress had been the one who used Count Graham as a shadow. And when things went wrong, she had mercilessly removed that shadow. There was no way to know what she would do if she met Carson. She was afraid, but nothing took priority over his safety. Ines fearlessly set out to find the place where the two would meet.
She didn’t have to wander around for long. The waiting room was always a place where many people came and went. However, by the end of dinner, it had become a restricted area that no one could enter. She moved without hesitation, and fortunately, she was able to hide in the waiting room before the two.
“I didn’t know that providing what you need would be a problem.”
Carson said in the same voice, his appearance slightly changing in the meantime. Now twenty-three, his shoulders were broader than before, and his jawline was a bit sharper. However, his eyes were as beautiful as ever.
Ines did not forget to look around while drawing the person she had missed with her eyes.
“The fact that the Count satisfies my needs means that you have that much more.”
“So, I didn’t really want anything more.”
The Empress did not hide her sneer at Carson, who spoke in an uncharacteristically innocent manner.
“It may not be like that right now, but... You’ve grown too much. You’ve grown too much.”
“I was the tallest in the imperial family to begin with.”
The Empress raised her knees from before the goddess as she listened to the joke that didn’t fit the situation. And she looked down at him with a compassionate expression like Heclesia.
“Carson, my son. Do you know what your greatest sin is?”
Carson did not look up at her or answer.
“It is that you did not come from my womb.”
“...”
“If you are so great, you should not have come from that mean bloodline. Otherwise, you should have lived like a pretty doll with an empty head like your mother.”
Carson did not flinch at the blatant insult, but Ines squeezed her eyes shut. At this moment, even the most powerful Empress in the empire was to her a mere enemy who was blaspheming her sole divinity.
The Empress slowly removed the gloves from her hands. The breathtaking grace with which she removed her fingers one by one made her shiver.
“I didn’t know that providing what you need would be a problem.”
Carson said in the same voice, his appearance slightly changing in the meantime. Now twenty-three, his shoulders were broader than before, and his jawline was a bit sharper. However, his eyes were as beautiful as ever.
Ines did not forget to look around while drawing the person she had missed with her eyes.
“The fact that the Count satisfies my needs means that you have that much more.”
“So, I didn’t really want anything more.”
The Empress did not hide her sneer at Carson, who spoke in an uncharacteristically innocent manner.
“It may not be like that right now, but... You’ve grown too much. You’ve grown too much.”
“I was the tallest in the imperial family to begin with.”
The Empress raised her knees from before the goddess as she listened to the joke that didn’t fit the situation. And she looked down at him with a compassionate expression like Heclesia.
“Carson, my son. Do you know what your greatest sin is?”
Carson did not look up at her or answer.
“It is that you did not come from my womb.”
“...”
“If you are so great, you should not have come from that mean bloodline. Otherwise, you should have lived like a pretty doll with an empty head like your mother.”
Carson did not flinch at the blatant insult, but Ines squeezed her eyes shut. At this moment, even the most powerful Empress in the empire was to her a mere enemy who was blaspheming her sole divinity.
The Empress slowly removed the gloves from her hands. The breathtaking grace with which she removed her fingers one by one made her shiver.
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